Italy is famous for its diverse and delicious dishes, including creamy pasta, pizzas with different toppings, and fresh seafood. Italy also makes many wines, from light and crisp whites to rich and bold red wines. These wines can pair well with different foods if diners consider various factors.
Pairing Italian wines with diverse cuisine requires understanding how certain characteristics in the food and drink can balance—or imbalance—one another. Sweet food or desserts like tiramisu bring out fruity flavors in bold red wines, while creamy or cheesy foods complement acidic white wines. Salty meals can make wine seem softer - so if a dish is too salty, a sparkling, bubbly wine helps balance it.
When pairing wine with pizza, the toppings you choose make a big difference in the best wine match. For instance, a Margherita pizza goes well with a dry rose or light red wine. Pepperoni Pizza pairs nicely with an acidity-and-tannin-packed red wine like Chianti. On the other hand, Hawaiian Pizza, with its salty ham and fruity toppings, calls for a semi-dry white wine such as Riesling or a Gewürztraminer. For vegetarian pizzas, a medium-bodied white wine like Sauvignon Blanc can complement the classic veggie toppings without overshadowing the pizza's flavors.
The sauce and toppings are also crucial when pairing wine with pasta. If you have pasta with a tomato-based sauce, go for medium-bodied red wines with a certain acidity and fruitiness level to complement the sauce's flavors. Good options include Chianti, Sangiovese, Barbera, or a Zinfandel. For carbonara pasta, the rich and creamy combination of the egg and cheese-laden sauce with guanciale in the pasta calls for a crisp, dry, sparkling rose wine that can balance the richness and cut through the creaminess.
Lasagna, another popular Italian dish, pairs well with red wine due to its layers of cheeses, sauces, and meats. It mainly works well with a Chianti Classico from Tuscany due to the wine's nuanced flavors of red fruit and earth that elegantly mingle with the complex blend of lasagna tastes. Gamay from Beaujolais, France, is also a superb match, as its blackberry and spice notes complement each Lasagna component without overwhelming the dish. The wine's perceived weight or viscosity in the mouth makes it easy to drink, as it does not overpower the rich lasagna flavors. For lighter vegetarian lasagnas featuring spinach or asparagus, pair with a crisp Vernaccia di San Gimignano white or an aromatic Pinot Grigio wine.
Eggplant parmesan, a beloved Italian-American dish consisting of breaded, fried eggplant layered with a rich tomato sauce and melty cheeses, begs for a high-acid red wine to provide balance. Red wines from grape varietals such as Barbera or Sangiovese complement the eggplant parmesan exceptionally well. For instance, a Barbera from Piedmont or a Chianti Classico made from Sangiovese grapes bring out the dish's flavors. Further, the notes of cherries and spices from the wine pair beautifully with the savory tomato sauce and warm melted cheeses.
Pairing culinary creations with the perfect wine beverage occurs in both the kitchen and when dining. For instance, in chicken marsala, the marsala wine from Sicily is a vital ingredient to make a mushroom sauce that adds tenderness to the chicken. At the table, several premium California Chardonnays can complement the earthy, robust flavors in the marsala sauce. Full-bodied wine selections, including the Staglin, Mayacamas, and Luminus Chardonnays, are excellent for pairing with chicken Marsala.
